Lead Stories

Photos by Antoine Lodge Family and friends gather in Westmoreland for a repast following the funeral of Cleveland Jeffery, lost during Hurricane Melissa.
29 Nov, 2025 0

Nowhere for the living, nowhere for the dead

A Westmoreland family is caught between grief and survival in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa. On Friday, as they gathered to lay their brother, Cleveland Wayne – affectionately called “Gramps”—…
Pamela Lawson, managing director of the Jamaica Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, shares a playful moment with a dog at one of the organisation’s facilities.
29 Nov, 2025 0

‘Not enough hands’

Pamela Lawson, managing director of the Jamaica Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (JSPCA), has painted a worrying picture of the country’s animals in the wake of Hurricane Melissa,…
Travis Fisher, the son of 60-year-old fisherman Vincent Fisher, recalls losing his father during the passage of Hurricane Melissa on October 28.
29 Nov, 2025 0

Deadly determination

As Hurricane Melissa pummelled Smithfield in Westmoreland, 50-year-old Vincent Fisher worked frantically to protect his concrete home. He tried to clear a fallen tree, secure shattered windows, and…
Students make the most of their temporary classroom, learning and laughing under the guidance of Elaine Morgan.
29 Nov, 2025 0

Learning triumphs over disaster

WESTERN BUREAU: When Hurricane Melissa ripped the roof off Dumfries Primary and left children wandering aimlessly across Lima, St James, veteran teacher Elaine Morgan refused to let the storm steal…
Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness (left) interacting with Deputy Superintendent Joel Hamilton (right), project manager at the Services Branch, and other cops during a tour of the facilities.
28 Nov, 2025 0

DIGNITY MATTERS

WESTERN BUREAU: Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has renewed his call for dignity to be placed at the centre of Jamaica’s hurricane recovery efforts, urging that assistance to affected residents be…
Gary Allen, head of the Media Association Jamaica.
28 Nov, 2025 0

‘Absolutely not’

Senior figures within Jamaica’s media landscape have strongly rejected a call from a government lawmaker to reinstate criminal libel, arguing that such a move would roll back hard-won press freedoms…
Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Desmond McKenzie, addresseing a special press briefing on Hurricane Melissa recovery at Jamaica House on November 26.
28 Nov, 2025 0

McKenzie: New building code coming next fiscal year

WESTERN BUREAU: Local Government and Community Development Minister Desmond McKenzie has said that the country’s new building code, which has been in gestation for nearly two decades, is scheduled for…
Mullings
28 Nov, 2025 0

Local contractors want integration in container home solutions

As the Jamaican Government prepares to purchase thousands of container homes as a rapid response to the housing stock devastated by Hurricane Melissa, Incorporated Masterbuilders Association of…
Mark Jackson, a resident of Tavern, St Andrew, highlights the dangerous erosion caused by the swollen Hope River.
28 Nov, 2025 0

Hope River fears

Residents of Kintyre and Tavern in St Andrew say they are “running out of ground” after Hurricane Melissa’s fierce rains chewed deeper into the Hope River’s banks, exposing foundations, toppling…